Last time, we talked about scanning documents in your home office. But what if you have a lot of documents at your place of work? Does the idea of digitizing your massive paper archive feel too overwhelming?
You’re not alone, certainly. That’s nice and all, but you’ve got to get it done—so what’s the best approach to manage such a significant task?
You basically have two options:
- Tackle the project internally, requiring significant resources and time.
- Partner with a backfile service provider like Xerox to manage the conversion for you.
Backfilling refers to the process of digitally converting paper documents, typically a “backfile” of archival documents—the type that so many companies and organizations have piled up from years of operation. If your archives aren’t too big, an in-house project is often feasible; otherwise, you’re better off outsourcing so as to not interrupt your day-to-day operations.
However you go about it, converting these documents from paper to digital will greatly reduce the amount of physical storage you have to have, not to mention make document retrieval and collaboration much faster and more efficient for your team.
Next, we’ll discuss what happens if you choose to go the backfile route with Xerox.
Xerox’s Backfile Scanning: Getting Started, Budget Proposal, and Samples
If you’ve decided to outsource backfilling with Xerox, you’ll be in good hands. The process starts with a thorough consultation. During your meeting with a Xerox representative, an imaging expert—someone who really knows what they’re doing when it comes to digitizing paper documents—will assesses your project requirements and goals. So, a big part of the initial discussion will involve examining the quantity and condition of your documents.
After the consultation, you receive a detailed budget proposal. This proposal offers options for either a one-time payment or monthly billing, allowing you to choose what best fits your financial planning. Before any major steps are taken, Xerox provides quality samples for your approval, so you can be totally sure that the final product meets your expectations. After you approve the samples, the project can get officially started.
Finalizing Your Digitization Project and Delivery Options Explained
The “production phase” is the part of the project that actually involves the third party, in this case, Xerox, acquiring your documents and digitizing them.
Strict security protocols are observed from the moment your documents are picked up from where you have them stored, including a strict chain of custody for all documents. Xerox really goes above and beyond here—employees involved in the project even undergo extensive background checks, and the production floor is under constant surveillance.
Xerox uses their own industry-leading scanners during production for the best possible image quality. Progress tracking is logged for each project task, and in-progress file retrieval can be provided within 4-6 business hours if needed. This is hugely beneficial, since if necessary, you’ll have near-immediate access to critical archival documents even though they’re off-premises.
After digital delivery, the original documents are either returned to you, or securely destroyed according to your instructions. In the case of destruction, this is useful if you know you no longer want to store the paper documents. If you want the originals destroyed, Xerox will wait 60 days post-delivery before shredding the documents, and you’ll get an affidavit of destruction, which acts as legally-binding proof that the documents were destroyed.
Need to Digitize Paper Documents? Whether You’re Working In-House or Outsourcing, We’ve Got You Covered
Backfile services aren’t for everyone, but if you have a very large, daunting archive of documents, it’s one of the best ways to preserve them without causing major disruptions to your daily operations. Whether you want to explore backfilling services or want help picking the best scanner or multifunction printer for an in-house project, our team is here to help. Please feel free to contact us or request a free quote.
